Fabrication of low defectivity electrochromic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9664974-B2
Application number	US-64511109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2009
Priority date	Mar 31, 2009
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

Prior electrochromic devices frequently suffer from high levels of defectivity. The defects may be manifest as pin holes or spots where the electrochromic transition is impaired. This is unacceptable for many applications such as electrochromic architectural glass. Improved electrochromic devices with low defectivity can be fabricated by depositing certain layered components of the electrochromic device in a single integrated deposition system. While these layers are being deposited and/or treated on a substrate, for example a glass window, the substrate never leaves a controlled ambient environment, for example a low pressure controlled atmosphere having very low levels of particles. These layers may be deposited using physical vapor deposition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated deposition system comprising:
a plurality of deposition stations arranged in series and operable to pass a transparent substrate from one station to an adjacent station without exposing the transparent substrate to an external environment, wherein the plurality of deposition stations comprise
(i) a first deposition station containing a material source that, during operation, deposits a tungsten oxide based electrochromic layer,
(ii) a second deposition station containing a material source that, during operation, deposits a nickel oxide based counter electrode layer,
(iii) a third deposition station having a lithium metal sputter target comprising between about 90% and about 99% by weight lithium metal, wherein the lithium metal sputter target deposits lithium metal during operation, and
(iv) a fourth deposition station having a material source that, during operation, deposits a transparent conducting oxide layer;
a substrate holder that, during operation, holds the transparent substrate in a substantially vertical orientation while the substrate holder translates through the first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations without exposing the transparent substrate to the external environment during deposition; and
a controller containing program instructions for passing the transparent substrate through the first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations in a manner that deposits on the transparent substrate the tungsten oxide based electrochromic layer, the nickel oxide based counter electrode layer, lithium metal onto at least one of the tungsten oxide based electrochromic layer and the nickel oxide based counter electrode layer, and the transparent conducting oxide layer to form a stack of an inorganic and solid state electrochromic device on the transparent substrate, the program instructions providing that the lithium metal is deposited in an amount that is at least sufficient to compensate blind charge in the inorganic and solid state electrochromic device and an additional amount of 1.5 to 2.5 times by mass;
wherein the plurality of deposition stations deposit, during operation, material layers of the inorganic and solid state electrochromic device on the transparent substrate fabricating an electrochromic window.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more load locks for passing the transparent substrate between an external environment and the integrated deposition system.

3. The system of claim 1 comprising at least one additional lithium deposition station having another lithium metal sputter target for depositing lithium.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one slit valve operable to permit isolation of the third deposition station from one or more other deposition stations of the plurality of deposition stations.

5. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of deposition stations further comprises another deposition station containing a material source for depositing an ion conducting layer, and
wherein the program instructions for passing the transparent substrate through the first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations further includes instructions for sequentially depositing the ion conducting layer to form a stack in which the ion conducting layer separates the tungsten oxide based electrochromic layer and the nickel oxide based counter electrode layer.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the ion conducting layer is inorganic and solid-state.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transparent substrate passes sequentially through the first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transparent substrate passes sequentially through the second, first, third, and fourth deposition stations.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to fabricate the electrochromic device with a leakage current less than about 5 μA/cm 2 .

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the material sources in the first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations, including the lithium metal sputter target, are configured to deposit materials on only one side of the transparent substrate.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the internal environment of the plurality of deposition stations is configured to produce fewer than 350 particles of size 0.1 micrometers or larger per m 3 .

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate holder is further configured to hold one or more transparent substrates having a thickness of between about 3 mm and 9 mm.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate holder comprises a pallet configured to hold the transparent substrate about a perimeter of the transparent substrate.

14. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a track, wherein the substrate holder travels along the track through first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transparent substrate held by the substrate holder is at least about 80 inches by 120 inches.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to hold the transparent substrate at a deposition temperature of up to 350° C.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate holder is further configured to hold the transparent substrate having a thickness of between about 0.01 to 10 mm.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to pass the transparent substrate through all of the plurality of deposition stations without exposing the transparent substrate to the external environment.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is operable to fabricate the tungsten oxide based electrochromic layer, an ion conductor layer, and the nickel oxide based counter electrode layer without the substrate leaving the system at any time during sequential deposition through the first, second, third, and fourth deposition stations.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the substrate holder can accommodate the transparent substrate having a size of up to about 72 inches by 120 inches.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lithium metal sputter target is oriented substantially vertical.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lithium metal sputter target is cylindrical.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transparent substrate passes sequentially through the third deposition station after passing through the fourth, first, and second deposition stations.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein lithium metal is deposited in the third deposition station after deposition of both the tungsten oxide based electrochromic layer in the first deposition station and the nickel oxide based counter electrode layer in the second deposition station.

25. The system of claim 17 , wherein the substrate holder can accommodate the transparent substrate having a size of more than 72 inches by 120 inches.

Assignees

• Kozlowski Mark
• Kurman Eric
• Wang Zhongchun
• Scobey Mike
• Dixon Jeremy
• Pradhan Anshu
• Rozbicki Robert
• View Inc

Inventors

• Kozlowski Mark
• Kurman Eric
• Wang Zhongchun
• Scobey Mike
• Dixon Jeremy
• Pradhan Anshu
• Rozbicki Robert

Classifications

• C23C14/568

  Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations (C23C14/562 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/5806

  Thermal treatment · CPC title

• C23C14/185

  by cathodic sputtering · CPC title

• C23C10/28

  using solids, e.g. powders, pastes · CPC title

• C23C14/58

  After-treatment · CPC title